Brand set to relaunch with a new editorial style for Fall 2023 campaign
Versace has cleared its official Instagram feed, leading to online conjecture regarding the brand’s next steps. This move closely follows Tapestry Inc.’s acquisition of Versace’s parent company, Capri Holdings, for an estimated $8.5 billion.
Versace responded per a statement, “We will relaunch our Instagram channel later this week with the Fall 2023 campaign, presented in a magazine-style format, coinciding with the new season’s collection arrival both in-store and online.”
The brand elaborated, “Our aim is to consistently refine how we engage our community and immerse them in the Versace universe. This rejuvenated digital strategy enables us to maintain our editorial narrative, ensuring our worldwide audience receives premium Versace content in the format most suited to them.”
While comprehensive details are yet to be unveiled, a series of campaign photos from Creative Director Christopher Simmonds was released last month featuring Gigi Hadid, Anok Yai, Angelina Kendall, and Karolina Spakowski. All captured by photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott.
New photographs are anticipated to be unveiled this week, incorporating both monochrome and color images shot at Versace’s historic Milan headquarters on Via Gesù. Additional renowned figures, including Irina Shayk, are speculated to feature, based on behind-the-scenes glimpses shared by chief creative officer Donatella Versace on her personal Instagram.
Discussing the campaign, Versace mentioned, “This campaign embodies all I cherish about Versace: its strength, precision, and flair. The models on set felt empowered and formidable — precisely the sentiment Versace attire should evoke.”
While this marks Versace’s inaugural social media content clearance, such strategies are not unfamiliar in the fashion sector. They’ve been previously employed to amplify excitement around major announcements or shifts in artistic vision.
In 2016, Saint Laurent entirely cleared its Instagram to usher in the era of new creative director Anthony Vaccarello. Balenciaga, too, has adeptly modified its social feed periodically, either to highlight significant proclamations, such as its haute couture revival, or to spotlight recent collections sported by celebrities. Bottega Veneta under the helm of Daniel Lee completely dropped all its social media accounts.
Earlier this year, Lee once again took a brand, Burberry, through a comprehensive social media reset on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. The strategy was a nuanced variation of Lee’s prior approach at Bottega Veneta, where the brand completely vanished from social media, inadvertently boosting its allure through the proliferation of fan sites and pages.